where i belong
by Natarle
Summary: akane didn't believe ranma when he told her..something..he felt left out.so he decided to carry on with his life..without her..can their relationshipnot that they HAD anybe saved?will the place ranma belongs to be the tendo dojo? or will he find another
1. the end?

**Where I belong**

»I do not own Ranma 1/2.

»thank you to all those who wrote reviews for planning ahead...hope to hear more from you...(",)

» plz read and review...

**Chapter 1: The End?**

Another normal day has dawned upon the streets of Nerima, people wake up, cook breakfast, eat breakfast, go to school or work, Ranma and Akane arguing...yes...they are fighting AGAIN. Ever since the braided boy and a stupid panda he calls father came into the Tendo dojo, having a fight, be it small or big, has been a part of Akane Tendo's life. A fight with HIM, Ranma Saotome.

"You stay out of my sight, hentai! When will you learn to knock before you enter?"

"Hey! I DID knock, but I guess the one at the other side of the door was just too dumb to notice. Besides I didn't see anything."

"You were practically staring! Hentai!"

"Who would dare look at your body? You? A kawaiikune tomboy with a macho body? Feh! Besides, it's not the first time I saw 'ya like that."

"So... you did look at me?!"

"Hey, told 'ya once, I see myself. And I look better!"

"RANMA NO BAKA!"

Now we see a flying Ranma, malleted to somewhere in Nerima. And we see a fuming Akane, mallet suddenly disappearing to god-knows-where.

"Ranma no baka. Not only does he walk on me dressing up, he insults me further."

Somewhere in Nerima, we find Ranma running on his way to...

"School. Now I'm really late. If Akane hadn't malleted me, I wouldn't be here. Kawaiikune!"

And of course Ranma was late. Their teacher was annoyed about that.

"Mr. Saotome, you are LATE, AGAIN! Not only that, you also have a lump on your head. Maybe you got into another petty fight on the street."

"If it wasn't for Akane, I wouldn't have been late. Also, the lump was HER fault." Ranma defended.

"Sir, it's not like the first time he looked like that. Besides, Ranma always gets into a petty fight... with Akane." Said one of their classmates with a smirk and so the whole class started laughing."

Akane kept on avoiding Ranma for the rest of the day. But secretly, she's glancing sad looks his way. On the way to school, lunch, and going home.

_'What's Akane's problem? God. She's mad at me now. Now what do I do? Akane... talk to me...Grrr... I can't take it anymore.'_ "Oi, Akane! Chotto matte." Ranma hurried off to Akane's side. "Hey, talk to me Akane. It's not like you to be like this."

"What do you care? You should be happy I'm not talking to you anymore. No more uncute, sexless, macho chick, tomboy of a fiancé will bother you and fight with you anymore. No more." Akane said falling her gaze to the ground. Why do they find the ground interesting in times like these anyway? Oh, alright, I'll go back.

Ranma didn't miss the tone of hurt in Akane's voice. _'She took them seriously?'_ "Maybe that's a good idea."

'_Ooops wrong move.' _

"GOOD. Now you're free to choose from your OTHER fiancés. This stupid engagement is off!" Hurt. That's what Akane felt right now.

"Akane..." Ranma reaches out his hand to touch her.

"Leave me alone!" Akane ran away from Ranma, eager to get home, to go to her room and cry...

"Akane..."

Back at the Tendo dojo, Ranma was doing his katas but with a little less effort. _'She really took it seriously? Damn! Stupid mouth. Always chewing on my foot. But really, my life won't be the same if she's not included in it. She's always been there, for me, she's not just fiancée but a best friend too. Besides, I certainly don't wanna go with those other fiancées. Just the thought send shivers up and down my spine. Maybe Uuchan's not bad, but still, it's Akane. She's... well still my fiancée._ **[This stupid engagement is off!]**_Right. She's not anymore. But she has to be. She's MY fiancée. I have to win her back.'_

Ranma took a shower and headed straight to Akane's room. Inside, Akane was about to doze off to dreamland when she heard a knock on the door.

"Akane? It's me, Ranma. Can we talk? Pleas I need to tell you something."

"Go away!" Akane tried as hard as she could to keep the tremble off her voice but didn't succeed.

"Akane, please, there's something I really need to tell you, and ask you."

The door opened revealing a puffy eyed Akane in her yellow pajamas. "It better be important."

"You crying? OR cried?" Ranma asked, his face faulted.

Akane started to get mad. "I said..."

"I'm sorry." Ranma bowed down. "About today, yesterday, everyday. I'm really sorry."

"Ranma..." Akane calmed down, her face softening. "Please, don't do this, to me and to yourself."

"Akane, I'm really serious. Please. Just answer if you accept my apology or not." Ranma straightened himself once again.

"Ranma, I don't really know. Everytime I forgive you, you just, well, kinda do it again, or something like it. Your apologies never seem to get anywhere. It just doesn't."

"Oh. Demo Akane... Um, well, never mind then." Ranma said, face faulting. He walked over to the door. 'Darn _it! Ask her! Come on!'_ "Um, Akane? Just one more thing..."

"Hmm? What is it Ranma?"

"Are...Were you...well...Were you serious when you broke off the engagement? Cause if you were..."

Akane misunderstood what Ranma was trying to say. "Yeah. I am. Now go on and... go to your other fiancées. I'm just one less kawaiikune tomboy."

Ranma didn't miss the hurt in Akane's voice. "Well, I'm sure life wouldn't be the same without you. Almost everything I did here in Nerima, you were there. So a life without Tendo Akane... hmm... now what kind of life would that be?

"Ranma?" Akane stood dumbfounded.

"Oh, it's nothing. Well if you're serious then, jaa." And Ranma walked out of Akane's room. Or more of out of her life.


	2. goodbye

**Chapter 2: Goodbye...**

The next morning was a normal one. Akane woke up to...wait a minute. No sparring? No yelling? And what was that? Someone's crying? Akane hurried downstairs to see if everything was ok. Unfortunately for her, it wasn't. Mr. Saotome was crying and saying things like "Why?" and "Stupid son." So what is the problem of these people anyway?

Seeming that Nabiki was the one least affected, Akane approached her and voiced out her question. "What's wrong here? Why is Saotome-ojisama crying?"

"You don't know?" Nabiki asked Akane.

"I'm asking here."

"Ranma's gone." Nabiki answered flatly.

"Wha-what do you mean?"

"He left a note. Saotome-ojisama found it earlier. Sigh. And there he goes, crying all morning... Akane? You alright?"

"Eh? Ha-hai! Heki-heki! Onee-san, where's Ranma's note?" Akane asked, her voice softening.

Nabiki pointed to a piece of paper sitting on the table. Akane went to pick it up and slowly read all its contents.

_Pop, Mr. Tendo, Kasumi, Nabiki...Akane,_

_I decided to go on a journey, to sort out my mind, to buy myself sometime to think about... certain things. Frankly, everything back there is...well... a mess. And I can't think straight, of course with distractions around, I can't seem to have my own time. Besides, recent events have been...quite...er...upsetting. I'll be fine. Hah, I'm Ranma Saotome. Don't go looking around for me 'coz I'm certainly out of town. _

_Take care back there. Especially you, tomboy, I'm not there to protect you. _

_By the way, tomboy, there's something at your desk. _

_Always, _

_Ranma_

"Akane, do you know anything about those _devastating events_?"

Akane was on the verge of tears but being the brave girl that she was, she blinked them back. "Iie, onee-chan, I don't know anything about it." She said quietly. With that, Akane went upstairs to her room, hoping to see what Ranma left at her desk. She found another piece of paper, another letter. But this time, it was longer.

_Akane, _

_Hi, tomboy! (kidding) Hope you're doing fine. Don't get me wrong when I said things are messy. YOU are most certainly NOT part of that mess. You are the only person who makes me feel like...me. Honestly, I feel no hassles when I'm with you. I think it's because you're a tomboy. Hey, don't bite my head off just yet. You are definitely one CUTE tomboy. _

_Anyway, I left because of the mess but partly, I left because of...you. No offense on that, I didn't mean it like it sounded. Akane, I wanted to think things over... about people, my OTHER fiancées, pops... us. You really broke off our engagement huh? I think being away from you makes things easier for the both of us...especially for me. Akane, that hurt. To tell you frankly, breaking off our engagement, especially by you, it really hurts. I mean, among all others you were different, you outstand them all. When I look at them, the only one I see is you. Why? Because you make me feel special, you understand me, you were always there for me never leaving my side even when trouble's ahead, you make me feel confused, worried, and happy all at once. Only you, only your smile has some kind of effect on me, only you touch makes me feel like 'wow', only your words comfort me when I'm down, only your presence makes me fell like all's well with the world. Damn Akane. I love you. There, I said it. That's why it hurt so much that YOU broke off our engagement. I thought things were fine. _

_OK, things aren't fine. And I want to apologize for all the things I've done to hurt you. I keep punishing myself for doing that to you. I've protected you plenty of times from people who want to hurt you but I couldn't protect you from myself. I'm so sorry. Please Akane, just forgive me, then things might be better for me; even if we're not engaged anymore (though I must admit it would be better if we were), just accept my apology and forgive me. Now, I'll find someplace to stay, a place that hopefully I'll belong to._

_I think that's all. And Akane... PLEASE TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF. I swear if something happens to you, I'd die. Pray that I'll sort things faster, then maybe, just maybe, I'd...come back (that's if you still want me to). Take care. I'll be thinking of you...always. Oh, and remember, I love you, Akane._

_Always, _

_Ranma_

Tears are now falling freely on Akane's cheeks. **It hurt, Akane.** _'I didn't know. Ranma, come back, please. Come back...for me.' _**I love you.**_ 'I love you too.'_ Akane cried on her pillow. She was not in the mood for school. Or even to come out of her room.

tsuzuku

Read and review please...thanks...(",)


	3. moving along

**Chapter 3 : Moving Along**

Two days passed and Akane was still distraught over the past event. She didn't eat, sleep well, go to school, her life was miserable. Until Kasumi decided to do something about it.

"Akane dear, please come out of the room, please." Kasumi pleaded her youngest sister.

"I don't wa-want t-to. I-I'm not in th-the mood." Akane managed to say through her snobs.

"Open the door, maybe you want to talk about it. I'll keep it a secret if you want to. You know, it always comforting to let things out."

The door opened and Kasumi was greeted by a puffy-eyed Akane. "Oh my, Akane tell me what's wrong." Kasumi seated themselves on Akane's bed. She embraced her sister tight and comforted her. "Now tell me what happened."

"H-he... Ra-Ranma... he l-left bec-cause of m-me." Akane told her sister everything that happened the day before Ranma left. She showed Kasumi the letter Ranma left for her. This time, she calmed down, her sobs died out and she could talk straight.

"I'm so stupid onee-chan. I should never have broken our engagement. Now he's gone, and he might never come back."

"Akane-chan, do you love Ranma?" Kasumi smiled at her sister.

"Well...I really...um..." _'Why do you have to hesitate now?'_ "Yes. Why?"

"Well if you do, and he does too, then he's bound to come back, or perhaps its fated that you two meet again, and be together. You see, everybody knows, except for those interested in either of you, that you and Ranma are a perfect couple. He cares for you, you also care for him. Your hearts are tied together and no one can separate that. When two hearts are tied together, and things aren't going as they're supposed to be, miracles occur, especially if these two people believe in love, their own feelings."

"Honto ni?"

"I've heard that once, and I believe in it. Akane, what would Ranma say if he sees you like this?"

"He'll tell me I'm stupid for not caring for my own self."

"Yup, because he cares for you enough to worry about you. Now you better fix yourself up and go downstairs. They're waiting for you. Dinner's ready and we don't wanna eat without you, again."

"Hai. Arigato, Kasumi-neechan." Akane said, finally smiling a genuine one.

Kasumi gave Akane one last smile before she closed the door and headed downstairs.

"Ranma, I wish you were here. You better come back to me or I'll go and find you, even if it takes forever." With that, Akane headed downstairs where her family, plus Mr. Saotome, was waiting for her.

tsuzuku


	4. missing you

» To all those who reviewed in the past chapters... domo arigatou!!! I really appreciate them... (",)

» Well, here's more of the story... R&R please...

**Chapter 4: Missing You**

Ranma's POV

Dang! I'm hungry and tired and cold. I wanna see her again. I wish I was back home. Home? Tendo Dojo. Home. Nah! It's not where I belong. I should move on to a place where I'll be accepted. Well, it's not like they don't accept me, it's more like SHE doesn't accept me. If she wasn't all stubborn we could've been together. But no, she broke off our engagement, hence I end up here. Well, damn her. I couldn't care less. Sigh. Maybe a little, ok, maybe a lot. Yeah, yeah, I do care a bout her, with my whole life, that girl never leaves my mind. I miss her already. I know she doesn't feel the same way but it won't hurt to think so. Hey, dreams are for free right?

It's already been two weeks and five days since I left and I end up in China. That was fast! Don't know how I did it. And when there's China, there's Jusenkyo, and when there's Jusenkyo, there's a cure. At least there's something good about this _trip_. Sigh. I'm gonna be a man again. I should be happy right? Then why the heck do I fell like this? I wanna be cured right? Yes, I do. But still, I had hoped that Akane would be beside me when I get cured. That she'll be the first to witness Ranma Saotome, back to being a full man. That I'll see her smiling face, and hear her say, _'Yokata ne, Ranma.' _or _'Omedetto, Ranma.'_ Now that's what I call complete. Sigh. I guess it'll stay at that huh? Ranma Saotome, cured from his curse. That's it, nothing more, nothing less. Somehow, I couldn't feel all the excitement about the idea of being cured. Or even the satisfaction I would have felt if 'she' was here.

Sigh. My mind drifts back to her, yet again. Why couldn't I think of something else? Maybe it's just the fact that I really, truly miss her. But still, I won't be able to do anything if she's the only one running through my head. I'm going crazy! I better clear her off my mind before it does more damage.

Sigh. Hey, what's that? Antique shop. Maybe there's something there, I'll go check it out.

Wow! Akane would like these things. She really likes these kind of stuff, though don't understand why. When I tell her I've been here, she will surely want to have come along. Aargh! Stop thinking about her. Get her off your mind, Saotome. Sigh. Hey, nice bracelet. Now I'm girly! Hmmm... I think I'll buy this one. For her, if I'll ever come back there. There I go again.

Akane's POV

It's almost two weeks since he left. I miss him already. Ranma, I'm so sorry. Really. I didn't know. Come back please. I attend to school again but things just don't get to me anymore. He's ruined my academics! It's amazing how much that boy brought changes to my life. Yeah, since he came. Baka. I'm really tired of things. Every morning I go through the same _boy-fighting_, and that really takes much of my strength. I hate to admit it but I'm growing weaker. Maybe it's a side effect of my heart being weak.

Now I sit at my desk, thoughts wandering off to when he was still here. _'_**Ranma no baka!' 'Kawaiikune!'** Sigh. Sure, we fight a lot but still, it's better to fight knowing that he's here with me than to have lost him at all. I haven't lost him, have I? Sigh. No matter what onee-chan says I still feel guilty. Sigh. I wish I could tell him I want him back. If only there's some way to tell him.

"Akane? Hey, aren't you going home yet?" I heard a voice calling out to me, seemingly telling me something. "Wow Akane-chan, your mind's drifting off."

"Eh? Oh. What are you-where's the teacher?" I finally answered snapping out of my reverie.

"Akane-chan, it's dismissal already. The teacher left fie minutes ago. We've been trying to get you back down to earth since then. Are you alright?" It was my friends Sayuri and Yuka. They have those worried expression on their faces. Have I been thinking too much?

"I'm fine, really. I just got things on my mind. I'll be going ahead now, I need to get back home early. Jaane."

Wow. Times sure flies by, it's dismissal already. Oh, well, I'll be going home now. Sigh. Empty. That's what I feel. I glance at the fence Ranma used to walk on. It's still the same old fence only, there's no Ranma walking on it. A light breeze swept on my face and through my hair.

"_Akane."_ I know that voice.

"Ranma!" I saw him smiling at me, that smile that never fails to melt my heart. I reached out to him and suddenly...he was gone. The tears I've been holding back for most of the day finally came falling down my cheeks. My mind's playing tricks on me already. I miss him so much. I continue walking until I reached a not-so-familiar shop. Since when did Nerima hold antique shops? Probably when I was moping around in my room. I smirked at the thought. Sigh. Guess I should check it out.

Wow! There are so many things here, all of which are so cool. Hmmm... Hey, a bracelet. Wow, I really like it. I just love its design. I think I'll buy this one. If only Ranma was here, I'd ask him if it looks good on me. Ranma, where are you? I miss you already...

tsuzuku


	5. a new home?

**Chapter 5: A New Home?**

It' s a very beautiful day in...er...wherever it is, and a certain pigtailed martial artists spends this day, like any other, doing his katas. It's not everyday you see a person practicing martial arts in the middle of a forest (ok maybe for ranmaverse it's a very familiar scene), the place would have been better for campings or something in that line. But for Ranma Saotome, anywhere's as good to practice, he definitely needs to practice. For the past days he never got a single kata completed due to 'emotional problems'. He has been constantly thinking, and distracted for that matter, of a certain blue-haired tomboy, commonly known as Akane, to concentrate on his katas. He decided it was about time he put this little trip into use. And so, we see Ranma Saotome working on developing his skills.

As the day was about to end, Ranma returned to the pace he was currently staying at, it was a little house in the forest owned by a good old lady. Three days ago, as he was walking through the woods when he suddenly collapsed due to hunger. He hasn't eaten for a day and a half so, having lost his energy, he fainted. Luckily, Ranma was about five meters away from the old lady's house and she saw him lying unconscious on the ground. When he woke up, he was still where he fainted, as he presumed, but feeling a bit more comfortable.

flashback

"Whe-where am I?" Ranma finally woke up.

"Oh good, you're awake already. Could you sit up straight? I've brought some food for you. Help yourself." Spoke an old lady in Japanese but with a Chinese accent. Oh yeah, he's still in China.

"Thank you. Who are you? I don't mean to be rude, after you've helped me and all but..."

"I am Xiao Liu, and old Chinese lady residing in this forest. I found you here a while ago, I figured you were not from this country."

"Yeah, I'm actually from Japan. I'm Ranma Saotome." Ranma finished his food. "Thank you for the food."

"It's nothing, really. Come, you can rest further in my house. Have you got a place to stay while you're here in China?" Xiao Liu stood up and walked toward her house. Ranma picked up his things and followed suit.

"Actually no. I've been wandering around and camping since I got here. It's no big, really, I'm used to camping outside."

"You're welcome to stay in my house for as long as you want, young man. All my old life I have lived alone in the forest, it's very pleasant that a young man like you happen to come across here."

"Th-Thank you. It's a really great help. I'll do anything I can to repay your kindness. I may be able to help you around in the house"

"That would be really nice, thank you Ranma."

end of flashback

"I'm back Xiao Liu-obaasan." Ranma called out to the owner of the house.

"Would you like something to eat Ranma?"

"That would be nice, thank you."

As Ranma was eating his meal, he remembered Kasumi's cooking. "She's a real great cook."

"Are you saying anything Ranma?" Xiao Liu looked at him questioningly.

"I just remembered a friend of mine. She's a really great cook, actually, she's good at any household chore there is. Her name's Kasumi Tendo, she's the sister of..." Ranma's voice trailed off, a frown forming on his face.

"Akane? So Kasumi is going to be your sister in law."

"Was obaa-san, was. Akane's not my fiancé anymore."

"Now, now, child. I'm sure you'll come through. It's not the end of the world. Something good will happen, you'll see. If you two are really meant for each other, fate will lead you back together. Just pray for the best. Now, eat up before your food gets cold."

"Arigatou, obaa-san. You really make me feel... at home."


End file.
